“After playing five games and despite my injury, Liverpool came for me” – Championship star opens up on Reds failing to sign him under Rafa Benitez

Former Southampton goalkeeper Bartosz Bialkowski has revealed that Liverpool were close to signing him in 2006.

The 34-year-old was speaking in an interview with Polish outlet TVPSPORT.PL when he stated that the Reds were interested in him when he was merely 19 years old.

“I was just under 19 when I made my debut in goal for Southampton. After playing five games and despite my injury, Liverpool came for me. Then the club reacted quickly and offered me a new contract on much better terms.”

“The club from Anfield was then led by Rafael Benitez, and Jerzy Dudek was already a substitute then, because the Spaniard’s first choice was his compatriot Pepe Reina. I extended my cooperation with Southampton three times. I spent a total of six and a half years there.”

Białkowski began his career with Polish club Gornik Zabrze before signing for Southampton in 2006. He spent the next six years in Hampshire but struggled to establish himself at the club, with just 22 league appearances made.

He joined Notts County in 2012 and became a regular, with further transfers made to Ipswich Town as well as current club Millwall.

He also won one cap for Poland when he made his international bow in a 1-0 friendly defeat against Nigeria in March 2018.

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Alisson Becker has brought stability to Liverpool's goalkeeping department

Alisson has been highly successful at Anfield

Liverpool spent a then world record fee to sign Alisson Becker from AS Roma in 2018 but it is safe to say that the Brazilian has proven to be worth every penny.

Prior to his arrival, the Reds had seen multiple goalkeepers struggle for consistency between the sticks. This ultimately proved fatal in the club's quest to return to the summit of the game, domestically and continentally.

The biggest example of this came in the 2018 UEFA Champions League final when Lorius Karius made two high-profile gaffes to condemn his side to a 3-1 defeat against Real Madrid.

Alisson's arrival at Anfield has all but eliminated goalkeeping errors, with the Brazil international generally regarded as one of the best and most reliable goalkeepers in the world.

The 29-year-old has made 184 appearances in all competitions for the Reds. He has even scored one crucial goal to help the club secure UEFA Champions League qualification.

His time at Anfield has also been littered with several individual awards and he has played a key role in the recent successes enjoyed by the Merseyside outfit.